studioScent Fragrances

I am always searching for unique artisanal fragrances, so I was thrilled to discover studioScent, a woman-owned, Black-owned brand founded by clever self-taught perfumer, Candace Winrow Weekly.

A truly imaginative and eclectic person living in the San Francisco Bay area, Candace is a floral designer, dessert chef, and perfumer. She started making candles as an extension of her flower design business but, eventually, ventured into the world of perfume creation.

Her brand’s Premiere Collection embodies the essence of what I believe artisanal perfumery should be: a way of welcoming fragrance lovers to challenge their nose without overwhelming their olfaction.

The collection consists of five finely crafted fragrances that take inspiration from nature, textures, and the emotions and settings of past epochs. They are present and distinctive but never overpowering or intruding and seem to invite us to wear perfume for our personal pleasure, above all else.

The fragrances in the Premiere Collection have names that evoke a sense of nostalgia for bygone eras. However, as Candace pointed out, the brand’s concept is not limited to vintage-style scents. Her goal is to capture beauty and ever-evolving creativity, two principles that have influenced her artistic journey and career.

Her refined taste and careful eye for detail are displayed in the form of elegant scents that fit all genders and identities. The fragrances come in sleek bottles with beautifully designed labels and packaging.

Candace graciously sent me the complete discovery set, packaged beautifully with a card describing each perfume, a nice handwritten note, five sample vials neatly displayed in a clear box, and plenty of mouillettes for testing!

ViSoie, is a sueded violet that suggests the scent of a brand-new leather handbag when you reach in to grab your wallet. The subtle notes of violet candies and a touch of face powder give it a touch of wistfulness. The green undertones add a fresh, vegetal quality, creating a perfectly balanced, nostalgic, and easy-to-wear fragrance. As someone who adores leather chypre fragrances, I fell head over heels for this one from the very first whiff.

Bayadère is a voluptuous and slightly musty rose that evokes a slept-in boudoir and its mix of aromas: waxy lipsticks, a palette of dusty blush and eyeshadows, lotions, flushed skin, and the remnants of perfume on creased sheets. You may even smell a garland of dried roses in a lace-lined drawer.

Le Demimonde exudes sensuality and richness by showcasing a bold and confident jasmine. It combines animalic undertones with a touch of soapy effervescence, creating a captivating blend that transports you to a bygone era. Picture yourself in a grand mansion’s reception room adorned with plush carpets and divans, where the air is filled with the lingering scent of perfume mingling with subtle traces of dust and sweat.

Cardoon Grey embodies the silvery calm of thistles on a dry, warm day. Cool and tart notes of zesty lime and earthy oakmoss come together to create a sophisticated modern fougère that can be worn for any occasion. Hours later, my skin seems to highlight the scent of damp leaves and tree bark and something dark, like a dry bitter cocoa note.

Physalis (named after a plant from the nightshade family) is a blaze of contrasts blending the scent of orange candy and butterscotch on a praline amber base. I pick up notes of herbs and spices, along with a hint of something primal. This is a bold and special blend of sweet and medicinal notes that will make an impression.

More details about notes and ingredients can be found on the studioScent website.

The fragrances are available in 30 ml or 2 ml samples as part of a discovery set.

Photos were taken by me or kindly sent by Candace.

Interview with Candace Winrow Weekly

I loved learning all about Candace’s creative journey, her thoughts about perfumes in the 80s, her favorite raw materials, and what artisanal perfumery means in the current industry context.

Candace, you have a beautiful collection of fragrances. Can you tell me about your path to the world of perfume making?

So glad you like the collection, Damiana. More than 10 years ago I sought a line of high-end candles for my flower business as was trending at the time. After exploring all avenues to facilitate this (private label companies, artisan makers, etc.), I decided to do it myself. I got really good at making the candles and though people really liked them, I wasn’t happy because scents lacked that ‘high end’, perfume quality present in other luxury candle brands.

No matter what I did, or how proficient I got at blending, they just weren’t right.  The lightning bolt then hit: in order for the candles to smell like perfume, (and not candle oil), I needed to study PROPER PERFUMERY!  With that, I stopped making candles altogether and devoted my time to perfume study.

What is your background and how did you start loving perfume?

I became a creative entrepreneur in my early 20s and have been working in creative fields my entire adult life. I have a corporate floral design business where I provide floral arrangements and decor consulting for companies. Before that, I was a dessert chef with a business designing wedding cakes and specialty desserts for individuals, hotels, and catering companies.

All these disciplines are part of the creation of ‘Beautiful Things’, and I have easily been able to parlay the skills of these two design fields seamlessly into perfumery. I see it as another extension of my evolving creativity.

I also want to mention that I am an autodidact perfumer. I have never studied at a formal perfume school, taken any in-person or online classes/workshops offered by fellow artisan/indie perfumers, or been mentored by a professional perfumer. I haven’t even sought advice. I believe that people whose professions are in creative fields make good perfumers, simply because the mindset and discipline are usually already present.

What experiences and scents have shaped your vision for creating a perfume collection?

I have always loved perfume in the abstract sense, particularly as a sensitive child attracted to beautiful objects. However, my perfume awareness journey started as a teenager in the 80’s.

I was drawn to the social aspects of perfume wearing and the ‘obsession of possession’, which were most fascinating to me. Designer perfumes were popular and deeply coveted, (along with clothing and accessories) because if one could afford and get them, then their social status and ‘wealth perception’ were seemingly elevated. Teens used perfume as much as adults to define their identity and attract romantic partners, and I was no different. Though finding comfort in mere observation, I did at times get absorbed in that display of ego and superficiality of the generation!

studioScent was created as an extension of my creativity, and perfume is yet another ‘Beautiful Thing’ for me to showcase.  This discipline has many challenges, especially when done as a business, and I am good at rising to such challenges.  Creating and business is very natural to me.

My ‘vision’ is constantly evolving.  I have a deep love and appreciation for vintage perfumery and personally gravitate to classic perfumes. In fact, the Premiere collection is very classic in nature. However, let me state that studioScent is not a vintage-style perfume house. I can create a variety of styles/profiles and do not focus on one genre. Future collections will showcase this. I believe fragrance should be diverse and not be distilled down to appeal to a single profile, demographic or taste. studioScent’s mission is to create beautiful fragrances across all spectrums, for those who appreciate fine perfume.

I believe I detect natural materials in your fragrances. Do you have any favorite materials to work with? And any challenging ones?

There are indeed natural essences present in the collection. Naturals provide the soul and structure of our perfumes, whereas synthetic molecules provide the synergy to unlock doors to realize the vision.

I don’t really have a favorite material that I constantly work with, but I use naturals when designing with much time devoted to material evaluation and their properties. My personal favorite smells in perfumery are woods, citrus, citrus blossoms, and musks.

Perfumery is challenging, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can work with anything. That said, the challenging materials for me are the ones that need specialized processing; I have no patience for crystalline, thick, viscous, or sticky ingredients, but I do what I have to do to achieve the desired results!

Do you have a favorite fragrance in your collection?

Le Demimonde is my love letter and tribute to vintage perfume, but Cardoon Grey is my favorite. An elegant fougère style blend that anyone can wear, it’s a great year-round perfume. I typically wear it in an EDT concentration, lighter than the EDP that I sell.

How do you think the perfume industry has evolved over time? What does it need more of?

The current perfumery industry is evolving. It is a system of rules, very old rules that the old guards and gatekeepers are very slow to change. What is changing fast is who gets to create perfume and who calls themselves a perfumer. I make the effort to keep up with the mainstream industry as best I can, but my focus is promoting The Artisan Niche Perfumery space, crassly known as ‘Indie’. Artisan Niche Perfumery is going to change, and I dare say, disrupt the mainstream industry in a major way. It is already happening. We are everything modern perfumery should be: diverse, creative, inclusive, daring, inventive, innovative, intelligent, imaginative. Everything that people say they want in perfumery can be found in the artisan space. There are many things that we need to work on of course as a whole; more focus obtaining technical and creative education for ourselves, quality standards, proper business/commerce matters, a place at the table of mainstream fragrance, global awareness, acknowledgment, and acceptance of our existence. We also need to accept the fact that good perfumery takes time and should be willing to take that time to create products that deserve to be considered as fine perfumery.

At the end of the day, my goal is simply to enable people to experience beauty, feel good through the power of fragrance, and help enhance life experiences, however significant or insignificant. Perfume is a beautiful mystery and the marker of experience. More attention needs to be devoted to the moment where it dwells. It is ephemeral, because the only lasting place for it is in our memory.